scientific method

American  

[sahy-uhn-tif-ik meth-uhd] / ˈsaɪ ənˌtɪf ɪk ˈmɛθ əd /

noun

1. Often the scientific method the method of discovery used by scientists from the Enlightenment onward, in which a question is identified, data are gathered through observation and research, a hypothesis is formulated and then tested through experimentation, and the results are analyzed to draw a conclusion: usually followed, in the scientific community, by sharing the results so that others can attempt to replicate and confirm them independently.

2. any process followed systematically to arrive at knowledge of the universe, especially in premodern times.

   In developing his systematic reflection, Thomas Aquinas followed Aristotle's scientific method as far as possible.

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scientific method British  

noun

1. a method of investigation in which a problem is first identified and observations, experiments, or other relevant data are then used to construct or test hypotheses that purport to solve it

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scientific method Cultural  

1. An orderly technique of investigation that is supposed to account for scientific progress. The method consists of the following steps: (1) Careful observations of nature. (2) Deduction of natural laws. (3) Formation of hypotheses — generalizations of those laws to previously unobserved phenomena. (4) Experimental or observational testing of the validity of the predictions thus made. Actually, scientific discoveries rarely occur in this idealized, wholly rational, and orderly fashion.

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Etymology

Origin of scientific method

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Journalism requires thought, patience, critical thinking and the application of the scientific method to mass communication.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2026

What the scientific method can’t do, though, is make moral claims about right and wrong.

From Slate • Sep. 25, 2025

“It creates a challenge because you’re trying to have very nuanced conversations in a rapidly evolving environment with people who don't understand the scientific method, don’t understand basic statistics,” Adams said.

From Salon • Dec. 29, 2024

"Unlike traditional environmental monitoring, which can be costly and time consuming, or simply impossible, these organisms provide cheap, ready-made, archival data, which can be extracted using a scientific method called chemical sclerochronology."

From Science Daily • Nov. 27, 2024

He was a great Talmudist, but he had been trained in a European yeshiva, and I didn’t think he would take kindly to the scientific method of studying Talmud.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok